Students at Fricano Elementary School are getting a special treat from their school principal. Principal Bonnie Calamita is turning herself into a piece of living art to reward her students for their success in reading.
"Every year I do something to challenge the students to read," says Calamita."This year they earned the opportunity to turn me into a Jackson Pollack painting. The theme is master the art of reading."
It's not the first time Calamita has gone to such great lengths to promote literacy in her school. In previous years, the principal has kissed a cow, had 30 gallons of green slime dumped on her, and she's even been turned into a human hamburger.
"I will do anything to get the students to foster a love for reading and I'm willing to do something every year...to help them meet their goal," says Calamita.
The goal: to read collectively for 150,000 minutes.
"They never disappoint me. They always exceed the goal that we set for them, so its very worth it."
Calamita's crazy stunts are all part of a school program called PARP - Parents As Reading Partners, which aims to bridge the gap between home and school.
"We have a committee ... and they come up with the idea and a theme every year," says Calamita. "I told them I just won't shave my head and I am terrified of heights, but other than that pretty much everything goes."
It's her enthusiasm and love for children that makes Bonnie Calamita Channel 7's Person of the Week.
"The little children...they just eat these things up...they love this," says Calamita. "So that's really why we're here. It's all about them and what it takes to get them to be successful and love education. I'm willing to do that for them."